Bye Bye Birdie

Tuesday morning Jeff and I woke leisurely and had breakfast on the top floor restaurant with great views of the city of Kyoto. It is surrounded by mountains. We took the shuttle to the train station which is the largest in Japan. Many floors with department stores, restaurants and a Café du Monde, direct from New Orleans. Now we are on our own and have to deal with our luggage. We had bought Japan Rail Passes at home and now we exchange them for the week long pass. We board a Shinkasen (bullet train) where we have reserved seats in the rear. The only place to store large suitcases is behind the rear seat and we are lucky that there is space. Between cars of the train is an attendant who sells food and helps you board. She took my heavy suitcase and stored it for me. And remember that there is no tipping in Japan so they are nice to you anyway and even bow and smile while providing a service.

A 15 minute ride takes us to Osaka and we change to a subway to take us near the hotel which is atop another train station. A man helped me with my suitcase on steps and directs us to hotel.
Swissotel is very chic and we are on the 30th floor with sweeping views of the city. There are pajamas and a chaise lounge in the room and I plan to stay there all night. First we settle in and talk to the concierge to make a plan. We take the subway to Osaka Castle which is situated high atop Osaka Park. The whole complex is huge and we walk through a flower market area to a large fountain. Then we trudge down a road to a very high set of stairs which we climb and then we walk and walk until we can see the castle grounds. We pass groves of cherry and plum trees and azaleas starting to bloom in reds, purples and white.
I ate fried dumplings with octopus and vegetables in a brown sauce. Jeff had donburi with pork and soup. We entered the castle and went to observatory on 8th floor. Great views. Walk down through exhibits.
We took asmall train down to the park entrance and walked to subway. Back at hotel to collapse and later went downstairs to Takashimaya deprtment store to buy prepared food which we ate in the room. Fell asleep on lounge in hotel pajamas. Great night's sleep.

Wednesday we woke in Osaka and had a rain day to see the city. We decided to go to the aquarium and took the subway. First we took a ride on one of the world's largest ferris wheels with great views of the city and harbor. Next we had lunch which consisted of vegetable pancakes cooked on a grill in our table. It was mostly shredded cabbage - I liked it and Jeff did not. The aquarium was very good and beautiful displays. Afterwards we had beignets and hot chocolate at a Cafe du Monde (there are several in Japan).

Back at the hotel we waited for Brian to arrive and decided to take an early train to Hiroshima in the morning.

Hiroshima is a small city in the south of Japan and it has been completely rebuilt since the bombing which ended WWII. I was surprised that people actually want to live there, but found it to be a thriving area which we enjoyed visiting.

After checking in to the hotel we took a local train and then a ferry to Miyamjima Island. This turned out to be a beautiful, restful trip. The island is lush and tranquil. First stop along the coast we walked to a Shinto shrine with a famous Torii gate which stands in the water. Unfortunately they were doing repair work so there was scaffolding and we were there at low tide so there was just mud, but you get the idea. The temple was large and we meandered the grounds. Then we walked in a park working our way up the hillside to a cable car. Up to the top and then to a gondola which took us to a lookout high atop the island. We looked out to the Sea of Japan and many small islands. Definitely worth the trip and walking.

Later we shopped along the main street and then returned to Hiroshima. That night we enjoyed the noght life in town and had dinner at a chic restaurant. Next day was devoted to visiting the Peace Park in downston Hiroshima. This is under the spot where the bomb actually detonated and there are several memorials as well as one building which survived the blast and has been left as a grim reminder. At the children's memorial we were lucky to see a group of school children making a presentation and hear then singing. We spent more time in the museum which has wxcellent displays about the war, the bombing and the aftermath. The whole experience was very moving and the three of us said kaddish at the main "centograph" memorial where all the names of the dead are buried.

That night we took the train back to Tokyo and stayed with Brian at his place in Shibuya-ku. He has a gorgous three bedroom, 2 1/2 bath apartment in a swanky area.

Now it is Saturday and we walked around Brian's neighborhood and visited the Meiji Shrine which is walking distance from his apartment. Everything is so clean and organized here. Hundreds of people cross the street at major intersections, but it is done so effortlessly and courteously. We had lunch at an American style place and enjoyed some down time. For dinner Brian took us to a lovely hibachi restaurnat near Roppongi. This is nothing like a Beni Hana where the chef puts on a show. This is truly elegant with scrumptious food. The shrimp we had for appetizers was alive and wiggling when put on the grill. A little macabre, but delicious. Later we walked around this part of town and then went home for some TV and relaxing.

Sunday is our last day and we are pooped. Jeff chose to stay on the couch while Brian and I opted to visit Ueno Park and the Tokyo Zoo. Again I am amazed by the sheer numbers of people and their politeness. Even the zoo is immaculate and there was a maintenance worker actually scraping gum off the sidewalks.

Our last dinner was tankatsu which is fried pork of many varieties. They also have shrimp and veggies so we all enjoyed. Monday morning was a work day so we all woke early and left together. Brian headed for the subway and Jeff and I got a cab to the train station. There we transferred to a train to Narita Airport and our flight home. We arrived at JFK on Monday morning, an hour before we left and had jet lag for the next week.

This was such an amazing trip. Best of all was seeing Brian, but experiencing another culture is so fascinating. We have so many wonderful memories and I can't wait to go back again and see more of Japan and other countries in Asia.